Curriculum and Religious Education

Religious Education

In Church of England schools, where pupils and staff come from
all faiths and none, religious education (RE) is a highly valued
academic subject that enables understanding of how religion and
beliefs affect our lives. At the heart of RE in church
schools is the teaching of Christianity, rooted in the person and
work of Jesus Christ. There is a clear expectation that as
inclusive communities, church schools encourage learning about and
learning from other religions and foster respect for other
religions and world views. Religious education is not
religious instruction, but rather it is a core subject that allows
pupils to develop religious and theological literacy through
investigation of religious and non-religious beliefs, practices and
values.

Although there is not a National Curriculum for RE all maintained
schools have a statutory duty to teach it. This is equally
applicable to academies and free schools as it is to maintained
schools as it is embedded in their trust deed. In foundation and
voluntary controlled schools with a religious character, RE must be
taught according to the Locally Agreed Syllabus unless parents
request RE in accordance with the trust deed of the school; and, in
voluntary aided schools RE must be taught in accordance with the
trust deed. Voluntary aided and academies often use this
local syllabus, but they have more curriculum freedom to develop
their own syllabus. Some may use a syllabus developed by their
diocese or group of regional dioceses, which will still be based on
the commitment above to teaching about a range of faiths.

The SIAMS Evaluation Schedule assesses the way religious
education contributes to a church school's Christian character. It
highlights the responsibility of church school leaders to support
and resource religious education, and those teaching it. In
voluntary aided schools, a judgement on standards in teaching and
learning in religious education is included in the SIAMS
report.

The Church of England Education Office sets out its expectations
for RE in Church schools in our
Statement of Entitlement. This statement outlines the
aims of RE in Church schools as well as the standards expected to
be met by Church schools and judged against in the SIAMS
inspection.

Understanding Christianity is a substantial resource to support
the teaching of Christianity in religious education in all
schools. The resource was developed in response to Ofsted RE
subject reports and to the Church of England's own
Making a Difference? report into the quality of RE teaching and
learning in schools. The key purpose of this project is to
help all teachers support pupils in developing their own thinking
and their understanding of Christianity, as a contribution to their
understanding of the world and their own experience within it. We
aim to see pupils leave school with a coherent understanding of
Christian belief and practice. Pupils from 4-14 explore the
significant theological concepts within Christianity as part of
developing their wider religious, theological and cultural
literacy. We seek to support teachers in developing their own
knowledge and understanding of Christianity theology to be able to
teach with confidence. It is a resource not a whole curriculum and
we would expect schools to have a balanced RE curriculum that
includes teaching about other faiths and world views, as well as
considering the role of religion in society and some philosophical
approaches.

Personal, Social and Health Education
(PSHE)

Although currently a non-statutory subject, the government
advises that PSHE is an important part of pupils' education and
that PSHE education should build upon the national curriculum as
well as statutory guidance on drug education, financial education,
sex and relationship education (SRE) and the importance of physical
activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.

PSHE in Church schools should reflect the Christian character
and ethos of the school.

Sex and Relationships Education (SRE)

SRE is an important part of PSHE. The Church of England
believes that it is important to value and to protect all God's
children and this informs our approach to Sex and Relationship
education. We believe that all children are entitled to good
quality Sex and Relationship education that treats all with dignity
and respect. It is a statutory duty for maintained schools to
provide Sex and relationships education. Governors and
leaders of maintained schools must provide a Sex and Relationships
Education policy and it is a statutory duty to do this with regard
to government guidance. Academies do not have to provide SRE but
must also have regard to government guidance when they do.
Schools must also follow the sex education component of the science
curriculum. The Church of England Education Office does not
have an SRE policy. Church of England Schools must create
their own policy based on local guidance and
context.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development
(SMSC)

All schools in England must show how they develop SMSC in their
pupils, and in Church of England Schools opportunities for SMSC
development can and should be reflective of the Christian char,
Church schools are inspected on how well the school promotes and
provides for progressively deeper experiences of spiritual, moral,
social and cultural development for all learners.

A breadth of experiences through the curriculum and
extra-curricular activities should be offered to allow pupils
to:

explore and reflect upon beliefs, values, and experiences of
themselves and others;

demonstrate and investigate right and wrong and the
consequences of behaviour and actions;

develop sound social skills which will allow them to make a
positive contribution in community life;

appreciate, understand, and celebrate culture and
diversity.

The Christian ethos of Church of England schools should inform
these opportunities and this can be powerfully enabled through the
Religious Education and Collective Worship offered.

Pilgrim Course
A course for the Christian Journey - where people can explore the Christian faith together and see how it can be lived out each day.

Church Growth Research and Development
Church of England's work on church growth research and development that aims to help the Church allocate its resources effectively to facilitate its mission and growth

Presence and Engagement
The Church of England’s national programme equipping Christians for mission and ministry in the wonderful diversity of our multi faith society

To Your Credit
Information and resources to help churches and individuals act for a fairer financial system, including support for credit unions.